


Almost 99% Human

by Marvelle Petit (petitmelon)



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-04-12 07:05:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4469810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petitmelon/pseuds/Marvelle%20Petit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bulma, a bored astronomer, gets more than she wished for when an alien crash lands on her front lawn. She struggles to balance her growing attraction to the alien and trying to manage her research. Meanwhile, the alien has an agenda of his own that threatens to ruin her life's work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the "all ages" version of this fanfiction. If you want a more explicit tale, find "99% Human" in the appropriate section. Some scenes may be altered or changed to suit the rating but the plot remains the same.

"God, Buddha, Krishna, Amaterasu, Odin, I need something to excite me again." No sooner than the words left my mouth did the room shake and rumble with an earthquake. A case of microscope slides crashed to the floor, scattering glass everywhere. My million dollar instruments jiggled perilously. I growled and stood, yelling to the ceiling, "Which one of you did that?"

I tip toed through the broken glass to the kitchen to retrieve the broom and dustpan. The distinct scent of sulfur hung in the air. _Great, did something catch on fire? Did any of the gods I prayed to govern fire? Well, lightening could cause a fire, but that was an earthquake._ My lips pursed. _Should the supernatural powers of old gods matter to a scientist?_

First things first, I needed to observe what went on. I glanced back towards the room and decided against going back in to properly dress. It's the middle of the night after all, and everyone either slept through the mild quake or was too concerned about their worldly possessions to worry about the smell of sulfur in the air.

I opened the door and stared at a large sphere. Well, large wasn't a very accurate description. _It's the size of my house!_ And banged up, but considering there was a crater and not any skid marks, the scratches and dents must have come from elsewhere. I walked up to it and knocked on it. The plocking sound was not the crisp clang of metal. My eyebrows arched.

I walked around it, and came around to the back, or rather, the front of the sphere. The aerodynamics of this thing was odd. _How is it supposed to enter and break through atmospheres? Fly through space with any sort of speed?_ I followed a seam line that ran across the front and ended up at a small window.

I leaned up to it, but it was too dark to see inside. I knocked on the window. The plonking sound was akin to glass. I knocked on the material of the ship again. Maybe rock was a good metaphor for the deep plunk it made. At least the glass wasn't foreign. Wherever it came from had silicon, at least. I chewed the inside of my cheek. _What is the sound of rock being knocked on? Is it more of a clacking sound?_ It looked like metal though, and rock would crumble under the force of hitting the ground from the atmosphere. A shiver of excitement ran through my body. _Maybe it's a new element._ Maybe whatever's inside will let me take a chip or two off the ship to analyze at the lab.

 _Details, Bulma, details!_ Why worry about the primary element of construction when there was something inside? "Hello," I called, banging on the window. No answer. The crater wasn't too deep, rather shocking if it came from space.

Which god batted it away from my kitchen? Had to be a cruel one, it needed a remodel for a long time and I'm certain I put space debris on my damage insurance. This was close enough. Wait, would they accept close enough? Those companies were always looking for ways not to give out money.

Well, whatever's in there should still be alive, judging by its gentle landing. Hopefully they wouldn't be allergic to hydrogen or something. Imagine being the first alien on earth and choking to death on a single atom. A true shame.

_If it would open the door, that is, maybe I can find out what's inside._

"Hey," I called again, kicking the space between the seams. "Open up!" Still nothing.  
"What the hell am I supposed to do with this giant marble in my front lawn?" With an angry scream, I kicked the door with all my power. Pain shot up my shins. I groaned and rubbed it. Something clicked.

It opened.

"For fuck's sake woman, _shut up_!"

I stumbled backwards in shock.

It spoke our language. It had a male voice. I squinted and tried to make out the figure as it walked out in the dark. It was a humanoid male. A deathly hot humanoid male. Suddenly coming outside in just a pair of briefs and t-shirt didn't seem like a great idea.

"Where the hell am I?"

He had the musculature of an Olympian God. His hair blended in with the night sky and appeared to be styled in spikes that would be a marvel to a scene kid. I cleared my throat and answered simply, "Earth." My voice faltered and came out soft. First ambassador and I sounded like an idiot. Great. _Calm down Bulma, you still don't know if the guy is hostile or not._

"I know that," he growled. "I set my coordinates to this planet!"

 _Hm, so the navigation mechanism is able to set coordinates to specific planets, but not the place it lands._ How interesting this machine seemed to have made a trek in space with fuzzy mechanics inside. Father's instruments were far more sensitive.

I stood and brushed off my bottom. "To be specific, you are on 32 Clear Springs Street."

His eyes narrowed. "And where is this 32 Clear Springs Street?"

I grinned. "On planet Earth."

He held up a single finger and sparks flew from it like a malfunctioning circuit, illuminating the area around us. His face had sharp features. The lighting gave him an evil villain look. It was almost comical, like the cheesy special effects out of an old movie.

"I don't have time for your games, woman. Where the hell am I?"

In spite of all this, I didn't feel scared at all. The opposite, in fact. There was something about his face that made me want to tease him a bit. I can't take this guy seriously. "Lighten up will you? Figuratively." I turned and walked to the house, ignoring his fireworks display.

"Good one, Bulma," I muttered with a chuckle. The air cracked as a searing heat passed by my arm, tearing a hole through the wall. I walked to the hole and looked through it. It passed cleanly through my entire house.

Any sense of wonder soon gave way to rage. "What is your problem," I retaliated, stomping over to him, "I know I wanted a new kitchen, but this is going to cost me a fortune to fix! I swear, if you hit any of my instruments I will—"

"You will what," he dared, glaring down at me.

Well, truthfully I couldn't do much, considering he had lightening fingers and more muscles than a bodybuilding competition. There were other ways to settle this. "Come inside and have coffee."

His brows twisted into obvious confusion. "What?"

I turned on my heels and walked back to the door. "Coffee." He didn't follow, but I went ahead and began fixing a pot anyway. He would come in soon enough once he realized I'm his only option this time of night.

An alien life form. Or maybe a time traveler? The latter would make more sense, considering he understands the language and was humanoid. _Hah, humanoid._ Maybe I can swipe a hair to run a DNA test and see how human he was. That physique wasn't human, that's for sure. Too bad any of his hotness was ruined by that foul attitude.

Just as the last of the brew dripped into the pot the door creaked from him entering. "Over here," I called, and pulled out a couple of mugs. "Sugar or cream?" He said nothing. "Never had coffee before? Try it black first. If you don't like it we can add something to it to make it sweeter." I poured two cups of black coffee and picked them up.

I turned around with the mugs and nearly spilled the contents onto his chest. He stared down at me. We're almost the same height. He seemed taller outside. That hair was shiny enough to land him a starring role in a hair commercial, though. His eyes were as dark as a black hole, and I found myself being drawn into them. His face seemed to mirror my curiosity, though he had a haughty glare to go along with it, like he looked down on me. In my field men often gave me that same look. Best to nip this in the bud. "Look, I know I'm sexy but if you want a piece of this you'll have to do more than glare at me."

His lush lips twisted downward to a furious scowl. "Why would I want a disgusting earth pig woman like you?"

I giggled. "I saw you checking me out earlier. Sit down and drink your coffee." He stared at the mug pressed to his chest for a moment before grabbing it. The chair screamed against the tile floor as I pulled it back and sat, one foot touching the floor and the other resting on the seat. I hugged my knee and took a sip of the drink of the gods.

His attire was rather strange. An ivory chest piece was the focal point. It looked like battle armor and had the scuffs to prove it. The rest of his body was covered in a skintight navy bodysuit. Not that the spandex was bad, it highlighted every inch of his body. He also wore what looks like a wristwatch, possibly a communicator?

As my eyes traveled down his body, I couldn't help but fixate on his crotch for a bit. The bulge was the same as a human male's. _Do his species mate like humans? Would they be compatible?_ He didn't seem to notice me staring, probably because he's staring at me too. Well, I guess mating was something all species are curious about.

I took another sip and leaned back, trying to act casual. "So what's your name?"

He sniffed the coffee and took a cautious sip. "I am Vegeta, Prince of the Saiyans."

A royal alien. Imagine that. "Where do you come from, Prince Vegeta?"

He eyed me, possibly with approval. No matter where they come from, royalty must like their egos groomed. If that's all it took then my problems were solved. I took another sip and nodded expectantly.

"I am from Planet Vegeta."

The coffee spilled all over the table as my knee hit the edge with a loud thunk. My cries came out as a mixture of laughter and pain. "It hurts," I moaned though a snort. What did he do, find his own private planet and name it after himself? Why call himself a prince instead of a king? Too much responsibility?

"What is," he stopped abruptly, staring at me as though I was the one from another planet.

"I'm sorry," I moaned. "Just give me-" I could barely finish in my giggles, "A moment."

In fact, it took several moments to compose myself back to normal. And with a sponge in hand I set to cleaning up the mess. My skin burned under the intensity of his eyes as he scrutinized every move. At least he stared at the clothed half and not the unclothed half.

"Is everyone on this planet as half-witted as you are?" he finally asked, setting the empty cup in front of me.

I grabbed the cup and walked back to the pot. "Bulma."

"What?" he snapped. "What is a bulma?"

Trails of steam hung in the air as I held out the refilled cup, "My name. Use it."

"I don't care about the name of some dimwit girl from a backwater planet!"

I shrugged and smirked. "Your navigation instruments may be shoddy, but you are a lucky man." _That's not right._ "Alien." _Would that be considered racist?_ I smiled generously and settled on "Prince." He seemed to perk up at me using his title. "My field of research is astronomy. I know these stars better than the back of my hand. My Father is head of Capsule Corp, and one of the things they specialize in is space transport. I'm also a part time study in bioengineering and as an apprentice of my Father for most of my life, a capable enough mechanical engineer. So to put it all together, you just landed in the front yard of a woman who can fix your ship, upgrade its navigation systems, and even give you a choice between the scenic route and shortcut to any place in the galaxy you desire along with ensuring you're not in too bad of health."

He blinked. I grinned and gestured to the chair. With a growl he yanked the chair back and sat down across from me, obviously fuming. After gulping the rest of the coffee in one chug, he slid the cup across the table until it hit mine with a loud click. Before I could be impressed at his accuracy he barked, "More coffee serving woman."

"Do they have manners on Planet Vegeta, Prince Vegeta?"

"Serving woman don't receive manners from a prince."

"I see," I nodded thoughtfully. He must come from a patriarchal society that hadn't seen the rise of feminism. "So my credentials aren't enough to impress you. I guess actions speak louder than words. I hope you don't mind me leaving you alone for a bit to go pack my things."

"What are you talking about?"

I sighed, "On this planet you're about to be big news. So we can either make a break for it while it's still dark or you can try to battle the hoard of newscasters, gawkers, and weirdos that will be knocking on my door tomorrow morning." I stroked my chin. "Maybe even military. That's going to be messy. I wonder if my house insurance will cover it?"

"I can take care of myself!"

I nodded and gave a slight smile while mouthing "Okay."

"I don't need you, woman!"

"Bulma," I replied, rising and refilling the cup. I walked behind him and set it down in front of him, dangling my arms over his shoulders in a half hug. "And my darling alien prince," I cooed in his ear, "You're not on Vegeta anymore." With a peck on the cheek I sauntered back to my room, grinning as the room echoed with the gruff growl of his frustration. He had a temper, he's a little grumpy, but he's also cute in a predictable sort of way. All in all, not a bad choice for a first contact.


	2. Chapter 2

 

* * *

I held up my underwear with trembling hands. His little laser beam happened to pass straight through my underwear drawer. And of course all the cute panties were destroyed. The last thing I needed was to go commando around an alien like that. Though, maybe a little sex appeal would bribe him to point me to a planet suitable for the Gaea Project. The thought immediately went to the trash bin. He didn't seem like someone that would be felled by simple seduction tactics.

Speaking of Gaea Project, Dad would be a way better candidate for that spaceship than the government. I grabbed my cell phone and called him. "Hey, Dad?"

"What time is it?" he asked.

I glanced at the alarm clock. "Two seventeen." He didn't respond. "In the morning."

"Still early. What's wrong?"

"Well, to make it short, I'm entertaining an alien prince right now."

The line went silent for a moment. "Are you drunk?"

"It's a long story, but if you come to my house right now, you can take his spaceship back to your lab before the government gets ahold of it."

"How many have you had?"

"Dad! I'm serious! Look, I don't have much time. I'm going to take him to the lab and you need to send a crew to pick up his spaceship. You're gonna need a truck and crane. Thing is as big as my house and probably weighs as much."

No other words were needed. The line clicked dead. Well, I hope he believed me. If not, he'll regret not coming to pick it up right away. Eventually the government would request his assistance, but the bureaucratic nonsense was a huge pain in the ass. The reason private companies like ours flourished was because we don't have to answer to a bunch of idiots in power that don't understand what our research is. Or worse, misunderstand it completely. Space was the final frontier and Capsule Corp was going to be the one that explored it if I have anything to do with it.

Hopefully Vegeta won't cause too big of a ruckus at Capsule's employee dorms. As I sorted through my panties, I felt a distinct heat on my neck. That sort of heat when you know someone stared at you. I cleared my throat. "Dad's stopping by to pick up your ship. We're going to go to his company headquarters and figure out what to do."

"What do you mean, we? I'm ditching you the moment you prove to be useless."

"Take off that ridiculous armor too," I ordered, ignoring his insult. Vegeta's insults were like the little roars of baby lions. Not really effective. He knew as well as I that he wouldn't do anything to me. "Your hair attracts enough attention as it is, I don't need that armor making people think there's a comic con going on."

"What sort of attention would I draw in the middle of the night?" he retorted. "Do people on your planet never sleep?"

I turned around and put my hand on my hips. "Are you telling me everyone on your planet went to bed at a certain time? Was that one of your princely decrees? Ten P.M. the national bedtime? Play a lullaby over a loudspeaker, did you?"

Each successive question seemed to make a vein in his forehead pop out and throb. His jaw was clenched and he appeared to be grinding his teeth. I marched over and jammed my finger into his chest, returning his glare with the power of a thousand suns. " _Prince_ Vegeta, if you would _please_ discard your armor, _I_ will personally draw you a bath."

"What?" he asked, and I'm pretty sure if I wasn't in such a bad mood over the panties I would have screamed and ran after hearing that deadly tone of voice. Maybe this _Planet Vegeta_ was a dictatorship and not a benevolent kingdom.

I pinched my nose for added emphasis. "You smell too. We have enough time for you to at least give yourself a quick scrub. I have some clothes around here somewhere my ex left you can wear."

"Your ex?"

I sighed. "An old boyfriend. Mate. Lover. Whatever you called them on your planet."

"What makes you think I would want to wear a weakling's clothes? Especially someone so weak you thought them unsuitable!"

 _I can't say I disagree, but I can't let you know that. "_ It's all I have. Once your clothes are washed, which only takes an hour, but I suspect I'll have to run that through the cycle at least ten times before it's even remotely decent, you can put that David Bowie outfit back on. But not until after we're at the dorms."

For a brief second he seemed like he would relent, but he crossed his arms and scoffed.

"How long were you in that giant marble anyway? Don't you want a nice hot bath?"

He let out a long sigh. "Fine."

"Was that so hard? Follow me." I lead him down the hall to the bathroom. If there was one thing to be proud of, it was my bathroom. There was nothing better than a long soak after a long night of work. Vegeta didn't seem to be impressed. I wonder what baths looked like on his planet. "How do you like your water?"

"Hot."

"Okay," I replied and started turning the knob for hot water only. As it filled, I grabbed a bath bomb and tossed it in. It started fizzing and filled the room with the scent of passionfruit and turned the water a pleasant shade of purple.

"What is that vile smell?" Vegeta scowled. "You don't expect me to get in now."

"That vile smell is you. I'm not going to sit in a car ride with someone who simply went through a rinse."

"And I'm not going to sit in something that smells suffocatingly horrible!"

Jeez, he's worse than a child. I stared straight into his dark eyes. "Do it."

"Who are you to boss me around?" He puffed his chest out and glared at me with the haughty superiority of a prince. I'm a woman in a field dominated by men. I don't back down from a simple glare. I returned his glare with a ferocity equal to his. Our eyes locked in a battle of will. And when it came down to the grit, I never lost.

Vegeta's lips twisted to a half smile and he scoffed. "Go."

I curtsied. "Thank you, sweet Prince." I walked out of the bathroom and went back into my bedroom to pack. Somehow the alien fantasy didn't quite match up with this meeting. Well, he didn't look like a spry gray thing with huge eyes and a head, for one. And he also understood my language perfectly. I wonder how. Maybe our telecasts actually reached other planets? How rude of them not to respond. I wonder how many languages he would understand. We had a fair share of international employees that could put him to the test.

There's also the problem of how long he would willingly stay at the lab. I pulled out a pair of shorts and put them on. The research sections we were going to visit had their own sterile clothing to put on and layering those over my real clothes made for a hot as hell experience.

It didn't seem like anything we owned would be able to restrain him, and that was not factoring in the magic lightening finger. Somehow I had to pique his interest or figure out exactly what he needs and ensure I'm the only one who can provide it.

I opened the bottom drawer where Asshole used to keep his clothes. To call Vegeta ripped was an understatement. I hope the shirts would at least stretch enough to cover those muscles of his. He acted the part of a roided up meathead, might as well make him look the part too. "Hmm," I sighed in distaste. Even looking at these clothes brought back bad memories.

But, seeing a certain bright color, I did a have a small opportunity to tease him a bit. _Pink lemonade it is!_

I walked back to the steaming bathroom and set down the clothes. I glanced over at Vegeta and saw something peculiar in the water. _What is that?_ I leaned forward to take a closer look. Something long and fuzzy, like a tail.

A tail?

Did he have a tail earlier? I didn't see anything near his waist earlier. Oh wait. I was too busy staring at his crotch to notice anything like that.

Vegeta splashed my face. I yelped and jumped back. He glared. "Do all the people on your planet stare when you take a bath?"

I grabbed a towel and wiped the water off. "Sorry, I tend to get lost in thought sometimes. Is that a tail?"

"Is that a tail?" he mocked. "Of course it is. What else could it be?"

The water was too murky to see his other anatomy, but you never know when it comes to aliens. "So your species has a tail." His hair was wet, but it still kept its shape rather well. Crazy. I wonder if it's hydrophobic like ducks' feathers. I sat on the toilet seat. "You never answered my question earlier. How long were you in that spaceship?"

"Three months."

"Three months!" I gasped. "Where did you come from?"

"Arlia."

"Arlia? Where's that?"

"It's gone now."

"Gone," I echoed. He glanced at me and said nothing in response. "So did you escape from Arlia?"

He stared at me for a moment and shrugged nonchalantly. "You could say that."

"Do you know anything about your ship?"

"What?"

"The propulsion systems, the A.I. inside, what it's composed of, you know technical stuff."

He scoffed. "I am a warrior Prince. Why would I concern myself with useless details like that?"

I sighed and rubbed my brow. "I guess you wouldn't know. How do they measure time where you come from? You said three months, but three months to me is measured by our moon."

"What do you want to know exactly, woman?"

"Bulma," I corrected. "I'm also wondering how old you are."

He growled in annoyance. "My race grows until they reach the age of thirty. I'm three quarters of the way there."

My eyebrows arched. "So we're about the same age? No, you must be younger if you still have growing to do. How long do you live?"

"Saiyans die in battle."

"No one grows old?"

"I tire of your questions, woman."

I crossed my arms and glared. "I tire of your attitude. I'm trying to help you and all you're doing is arguing with me."

"Who said I need help?"

He did have a point there. Then again, he did crash land on our planet without any sort of knowledge aside from the mysterious ability to understand the language. If anyone else got to him instead of me, there would be a lot more weaponry involved.

By all accounts I should feel afraid of him, after all there's his physique and magic abilities enhanced by a quick temper to worry about. But I didn't feel any sort of hostility from him. Honestly, he reminded me of a pet cat. Maybe that's why I felt safe teasing him despite his threats.

"Well, I'll leave you be for a little longer. Put those clothes on when you get out. I think it's obvious which goes where."

As I finished packing, I heard a gruff voice say, "Bulma."

Wow, Vegeta used my name. I turned around with a smile. The moment I saw him, my heart stopped.

He stood stark naked in front of me with a certain appendage standing at full attention. _Oh god, oh god, what am I going to do?_ I stood there with my jaw agape as my mind played through hundreds of scenarios which weren't exactly considered kosher for a proper lady like myself.

He took a step towards me. "What was that substance you gave me?"

"Coffee?" I squeaked out.

"Coffee?" he repeated. "Is that an aphrodisiac on this planet?"

His husky voice sent shivers through my body. "It's just a normal drink on this planet."

"A normal drink?" he repeated, taking another step closer.

I swallowed. "Yes. I mean, technically, it's a mild stimulant, but caffeine doesn't normally effect your-"

"Quiet." He took another step closer to me. "Do you see what it's done to me?"

I swallowed the bundle of nerves forming in my throat. "I do. And umm, you should go take care of that somehow…"

"You will take care of it for me."

I'll admit that it's not a really bad proposition, I mean, he's a really good looking guy – alien – prince dude, but we're also on a time frame, and I also don't know if our species are compatible, and you know, there's a lot of little details like why am I even thinking about doing _that_ with an alien dude prince guy I just met?

 _Jesus, Bulma, go without a boyfriend for a year or two and you go crazy. Have some dignity!_ I cleared my throat and banished all the naughty thoughts from my mind. "Whoa, buster, not so fast. You wine and dine a lady before she does any of that for you here." I put my hands on his chest and pushed him out of the room. "And put your clothes back on!" I shut the door and locked it, then leaned against it and sighed heavily. _He's humanoid, all right. Might as well be one hundred percent if that's what he looks like._

He pounded on the door. "Bulma!"

"You know how to fix it!" I leaned against the door and fanned myself. "How much time should I give him?" Even if he's humanoid, I have no clue if he's human in that department. What if it takes him hours? "Vegeta!" I yelled.

"You finally changed your mind?" he bellowed back.

"No, just tell me when you're done."

"Wench," he growled back.

I giggled and walked to my makeshift lab. If the beam hit my underwear then my instruments were safe, but I still needed to compile my notes to bring back to Capsule. Hopefully he would be done by then.


	3. Chapter 3

Just as the laundry beeped that it was done, the doorbell rang. "Fuck!" I swore, opening the door.

"What's going on?" Vegeta greeted me, obviously confused, but thankfully out of that weird caffeine-induced funk. Oddly, as he did, the air felt different. Like there was an electricity flowing through the air around us. The doorbell rang again. There wasn't time to investigate that oddity. I threw on some clothes. Vegeta stood there, gawking at me. The doorbell rang again. I grabbed his clothes and pushed him to the bathroom. "Put those clothes on. We need to go, now!"

"What's going on?"

"The police are here!"

"Police?"

"Just put those clothes on!" I shut the door behind him and wiped my brow. They pounded on the door now. I put on a big smile and opened the door. "Good evening. Morning. Night. Whatever time it is."

The two men in front of me looked worse for the wear but surprisingly fit. For some reason a portly officer seemed to be the norm, but these guys looked like they could join Vegeta for a good workout.

The taller one nodded to the spaceship. "Are you aware there is a large unidentified object in your front yard?"

I craned my head out the door. "Oh my god! What is that?"

"Did you not hear it crash?" the second officer asked, voice skeptical.

"Oh no. How weird. I guess I was out!"

The first responded in a dubious tone. "We felt the earthquake twenty miles away."

All the nerves manifested in an erratic laugh. "How funny! Well, you know I'm a scientist and we keep irregular hours, so when I'm out, I'm out!"

Suddenly their eyes became huge. I swallowed. There could only be one reason why they made that face. I slowly turned my head around and saw a naked Vegeta behind me. Heat rushed to my face. "V-Vegeta, what are you doing?"

"Who are those people?" he asked, ignoring my question.

The officer stared at me. "Out like a rock, were you?"

The other officer looked like he held back laughter. "A scientist, eh?"

I stood in front of Vegeta, covering up his nakedness. "Well, umm, you know." I giggled. "Yeah, I wasn't exactly umm… paying attention..." By then my voice came out as an embarrassed squeak.

"Go ahead and go back to your research. You may hear disturbances from our men."

"What are they going to be doing?" I asked.

"We're going to have people out here to look at the object on your lawn. You may have more people knocking on the door to answer questions. Try to be decent by then."

"And what are you going to do with my ship?"

The officer arched an eyebrow. "Did you say _my ship_?"

_Damn it, Vegeta!_ I laughed and lightly slapped his chest. "Oh, you know, a little bit of role-playing. I'm the scientist, he's the alien." I winked for good measure.

"Hey, look, there's a weird hole in the wall." The officer turned on his flashlight and shone it at the hole next to the door. He leaned down and looked through it. "Have you noticed this hole before?"

"Oh that, well, I'm doing a remodel, so I guess that's why it's there."

"Ain't no remodel I've ever seen," the tall officer muttered. He shone the flashlight at the ship and back at the hole. "Ma'am, I'm going to have to come inside and investigate."

I swallowed. "That's not necessary."

His partner took a step into the house. "That thing looks like it's open. Whatever's inside could be in your home right now."

He tried to take another step in, but I blocked him. "Really, there's no need."

"It's for your safety."

"For heaven's sake, woman," Vegeta growled.

The air took on the same feel as when Vegeta jumped out of bed when the doorbell first rang. A hot beam seared my arm. I gasped and clutched it in pain. The initial sting gave way to a lingering burn. The smell of smoke filled the air. The two officers were gone. "V-Vegeta, what did you do?"

"They were in our way."

"Did you kill them?"

"I sent them to another dimension." He shrugged.

"Another what?"

He crossed his arms. "Where are you taking me?"

The subject of what exactly another dimension entailed lay on the tip of my tongue, but the officers' sudden disappearance didn't give us enough time. There were probably more on the way to investigate the ship already. Not to mention he looked more than a little peeved and I didn't want to find out what _another dimension_ meant personally. I cleared my throat. "The lab. Put those clothes on and we'll go."

He wore the pink polo shirt well. Really well. It fit him like a second skin. The yellow pants looked like they barely fit. It made sense, he was more muscular than Asshole after all. Though the bunched cloth at his ankles almost made me giggle. Asshole was taller than him in the end, though Vegeta stood out in every other way that mattered. His pointed boot-like shoes were odd, but I didn't have a spare pair of men's boots laying around. Thankfully. Assholes' feet always stank. _Then again, I'm not sure if I want to smell Vegeta's feet after that armor. Three months of funk? No thank you._ I grabbed my keys. "Let's go."

"What is that?" Vegeta asked in abject horror.

"A car."

"I am not going in that."

"What are you talking about?"

"Is that how people travel on your planet?"

"Of course. What do you do, fly?"

He smirked a reply.

"You can fly," I stated dubiously.

"You can't?"

The casual way he responded lit a fire inside me. "No, I can't fly. I don't know if you've noticed on your planetary travels, flying isn't something that most people can just do at will."

He half-scoffed. "That's obvious. You lack the strength to even jump five feet off the ground."

"You arrogant jerk!" I slammed the car door and pointed my finger at his chest. "Do you even—Ah!"

The house became a dollhouse in the blink of an eye. His arm wrapped around my waist and though he was more than strong enough to hold me, I still put my arms around his neck and gripped for dear life. His deep chuckle did little to calm my nerves.

"Where are we going?" Vegeta asked.

"You can fly," I replied in muted shock.

"You can fly," he repeated in a high pitched mockery of my voice. "Where are we going?"

"Where are your wings?"

"Wings?" he replied, sounding genuinely confused.

"Wings are what animals use to ride the currents of the wind and fly."

"What are you talking about?"

Any questions about the technicalities of flying would more than likely provoke him further. I looked down at the city. "It's going to be a facility with a big central tower outside city limits."

"Which direction?"

"North."

The world became still. Everything moved in slow motion. But just as quickly as the sensation began, it ended.

Vegeta nudged his chin forward. "Is this it?"

I gasped. In less than a minute, we were at the compound. "It's an hour drive," I whispered. We floated to the ground. I put my hand on the security censor. The mild heat of the sensor tickled my fingertips. With a loud beep, the doors opened. "Follow me."

We walked inside the main lobby. Because it was late at night, the front desk clerks weren't there, thankfully. Explaining who he was and why I brought him here wasn't exactly something the poor minimum wage workers could handle. Not to mention it'd be all over social media in a second.

"Follow me," I commanded. We went onto the elevator and I pressed B-3, where my father's lab was located. After going through several more security checks, we were inside.

"What's that smell?"

I shrugged. "Sorry, Dad's a smoker."

"A smoker?"

I pantomimed a cigarette. "Tobacco. It's umm, well, there's this substance called nicotine and it—"

"Spare me."

I sighed. "Learning a bit about this world would serve you well, you know."

"I don't need to learn about this world."

I arched an eyebrow. "Why are you here, exactly?"

He looked away and said nothing in reply. "Vegeta," I began, but a plaintive meow interrupted me. I smiled and crouched down. "Hey, Tama," I greeted as I petted him. "Where's Dad?" The cat walked off. I started following him.

Dad sat at a table, cigarette in one hand, magazine in the other. _Playboy,_ the title read. I growled and snatched the magazine from his hand. "You're supposed to be at my house, getting that ship!"

"I was in the middle of a good article," he retorted, snatching it back from me. "You bent the pages. I can't believe I raised such a bratty girl."

"Why are you reading girly magazines when you could be making the scientific discovery of the century? The millennium, even!"

"You were being serious?"

I gestured behind me. "Does it look like I'm being serious?"

He wrinkled his brow and walked to Vegeta. "A bodybuilder? I didn't take you for the type."

"That's the alien!"

"Alien, you say? He looks human. Aside from that hair," he snorted.

Vegeta took the burning cigarette from his fingers. He held it up in front of his face. "What is this?"

"Give it a try, my boy," Dad replied.

Vegeta put it to his lips, inhaled, and began coughing. Dad laughed. "Ah, that never gets old."

"What the hell is that?" Vegeta growled between coughs.

I stepped between them. "That's not the least of our concerns. The police were on their way to investigate when we were leaving, and Vegeta sent two of them to another dimension."

"Another dimension?" Dad repeated. "What is this other dimension?"

"That doesn't matter. We need to get that spaceship of his to our lab. You did send someone, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure did," Dad replied. "Now Vegeta, he understands our language?"

"Of course I do, old man."

Dad stroked his chin. "Interesting. Would you mind doing a few tests for us?"

"Tests?"

"Yes. We need to find out how strong you are, for instance."

Vegeta's face seemed to light up at those words. _Amazing. Dad knows what makes him tick immediately._

"I'm always up for a test of strength," he replied as he rolled his shoulder. "What sort of test is it?"

"Oh, not here. Come, follow me. We can go to the athlete testing labs. They have instruments that can measure everything to pinpoint accuracy."

I leaned over and whispered, "That's not a good idea. He's way stronger than he seems. And he has some sort of magic power too."

Dad rolled his eyes. "Magic, Bulma? I thought I taught you better than that. Come on, Vegeta. We don't need her."

"What do you mean by that?" I screamed at their retreating bodies.

* * *

"Amazing! He destroys every machine we have!" Dad gushed.

"We're lucky athletics is one of our biggest moneymakers," I muttered. "How many millions in damage is it now?"

"If we had some blood samples we may be able to figure out exactly what makes him so powerful. We could usher in a new era of biomedical engineering!"

"If we can keep him around that long."

"He hasn't told you why he's here?"

I shook my head. "And he clams up every time I mention it."

"He seems to trust you, so get it out of him."

"He seems to trust me?" I questioned. "More like he's a half second away from killing me."

Dad chuckled. "No, I can see the way he looks at you. If there's one thing that's eternal through time and space, it's attraction. Even the very atoms that we're composed of follow that rule."

I knew exactly where this conversation was heading. "I am not going to do it."

"It shouldn't be so hard. I bet he'd melt if you gave him a peek or two."

"Dad!"

"For the greater good, Bulma."

It took all of my self-control not to sock him in the mouth. Can you imagine reading that in a textbook? _And here's Bulma, whose sexual relations with the alien is credited with ushering in a new era of biomedical engineering._

"I'm going to set up a room for him in the dorms. I'm warning you, don't make him angry. He has some sort of lightening finger that shoots out a powerful laser."

Dad's face seemed to light up. "You don't say? He can create a laser beam organically?"

I clenched my teeth. "If you die, it'll be your fault."

He laughed. "Don't worry about me. I'm sure I'll be fine." As I walked away he added, "For the greater good, Bulma!"

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered.

As I made the bed, my phone beeped with a message. "Three seismic activities similar to the one at your house were detected last night. You need to find out if he has any friends."

I sighed and fell backwards onto the bed. I wanted to find out more about Vegeta and the place he came from, but Vegeta was the type that would see through a ruse like that immediately. But if he came to earth for nefarious reasons, there wasn't the luxury of time.

"I don't know anything about seduction," I muttered. Don't get me wrong, for a normal person I was considered attractive, and for my field I may as well have been a goddess, but that didn't stop Asshole from cheating on me. At every opportunity, according to some. The girl I caught him with didn't hold a candle to my beauty.

_Stop thinking about that asshole, Bulma. You're just going to get pissed again, and you and Vegeta have enough of a spark without adding misplaced anger to the mix._

I glanced at the clock on the wall. Nearly six hours passed since we came to the facility. The tests should be done now, so where was he? My stomach growled. I rubbed it and sighed. "I guess I can go eat real fast. It's breakfast time, after all."

The closer I came to the cafeteria, the louder it became, almost like a sporting competition. _Oh god, don't tell me._ I started running and burst through the doors.

Vegeta, on a table, wolfing down entire plates in a couple of bites like a competitive eater. A crowed gathered around him, some even with tablets out, jotting down everything, cheering with every plate he finished.

"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered.

"More!" Vegeta yelled as he put the final plate away. The chefs came out, drenched in sweat, and set several more down beside him. Well, at least he didn't seem like he was causing any harm.

I went to the cashier, who gawked at the spectacle from afar. "Hey, can I get a regular breakfast set?"

"Sorry, all the chefs are tied up with Superman over there."

I pursed my lips. "I should have known." My stomach growled a protest as well. I grabbed a fork, walked over to Vegeta's table, and sat across from him. I took a plate and began eating. The people watching him gasped, and I heard a couple of researchers curse me, but they wouldn't do anything about it. I was co-owner of this place, after all.

It was another two plates before he noticed me. "You!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, me. I'm glad to see you're enjoying earth's cuisine."

"The food here is worthy of a Saiyan Prince."

"I'm so happy you enjoy our tribute."

The chefs brought out more food, and another set down a huge pot of steaming…

"No!" I yelped, jumping up and trying to take it away. The coffee pot toppled over and fell directly onto Vegeta's chest. He howled in pain. The room became abuzz with an electric current. My hair stood on its end. I looked behind me to see a livid Vegeta soaked in coffee.

The only sound was the buzz of his power. A golden light emitted from his body. He grabbed my shirt and pulled me to him. "You'll pay for that."

I swallowed. This wasn't something I could talk my way out of. My only hope was to prostrate myself like he was a real prince. "Prince Vegeta, forgive me."

"And why should I?"

I cleared my throat. "I-I uh, I can make it up to you."

"Not interested."

"I can, umm, I can…" In truth I had no idea what I could do for him. Except… I cringed and whispered, "I can _make_ it up to you." He didn't seem to catch my drift, so I obviously looked down at his crotch and back up. He seemed to understand that, thank god. I almost breathed a sigh of relief. He lowered me to the ground. I straightened my clothes to regain my composure. "Follow me, and I'll get you a change of clothes."

As we walked out I felt all eyes on me. _Sorry, not sorry. The last thing I need is for everyone to know how coffee affects him. That would be a riot._

"Where are we going?" Vegeta asked.

"To chambers fit only for a king."

"I can hear your sarcasm," he replied.

I giggled. "It was a pretty big sacrifice on my part. But it's the biggest we have, so you'll have a comfortable stay."

"What does that mean?"

I sighed. "It was my room, Vegeta. Don't worry, I took out everything girly." _And fragile._

"Your room? Why would you have the biggest room here?"

I put my hands on my hips and gave him a look of admonishment.

His face morphed from confusion to shock. "This is your building?" he gasped.

"Technically my dad's. But since he's going to retire sometime in the near future, yes."

"Come on, the employee dorms are over this way."

"This is a strange facility," he said as we made our way down the halls. "And your instruments are useless. I've broken every single one."

"It's not that they're useless, you're just strong, that's all," I corrected.

He laughed. "Compared to you lot, anything is strong."

I shrugged. "Humans evolved using tools and our brains. We didn't get to the top of the food chain by brute strength." I held open the door to my room and ushered him inside. "You can go ahead and take those off. I'll go get your new clothes."

I went to the closet and pulled out a suit similar to the navy he wore when I first met him. We had several from the athletics research department. I doubted he would appreciate the work that went into the fabrics, designed to reduce sweat among other things, but at least it may make him feel more comfortable. Comfort lead to trust. Trust lead to me finding out exactly why he ended up here in the first place.

As I walked back to the room, the sight of him stalled my breath. If anything, I could admit that he was one incredible specimen of biology. The way his muscles accented his minute movements was breathtaking. I tossed him the garment. He looked at it and nodded with obvious approval. "Where's my armor?"

"It's in the closet." I gestured behind me.

He slung the outfit over his shoulder and walked to the bedroom. As he passed by me, I followed him in. "I took the liberty of cleaning it." _And taking whatever samples I could off the dirt. You wouldn't mind, would you?_

He grunted and sat on the edge of the bed. "Are you going to tell me why I've been your guinea pig all day?"

"Funny, I was going to ask why you let us use you as a guinea pig all day."

He smirked. "The same reasons as you."

I sat on the bed beside him. "There were three others that landed last night, weren't there?"

He shrugged. "I came alone."

"Yes, but do you work alone?"

He glared. "That's none of your business."

"Are you hostile?"

"I have my reasons for being here. And I have my reasons for accompanying you here. So long as you are of use to me, I won't harm you."

"How reassuring," I remarked dryly. It was hard to blame his reasoning, as cold as it sounded. Our new goal would have to be keeping him happy until we created some sort of anti-Vegeta weapon.

But there was still one more thing I needed to know, and I doubt I could get it out of him without a little persuasion. "What will make us most useful?" I asked, rubbing his arm.

"Giving me someplace to train."

"Train?" I repeated in confusion. "For what?"

His brows furrowed, but he didn't reply. A trickle of cold fear ran down my spine. _What if he's not the only one with coordinates set to earth? What if he's here because he's on the run?_

He half laughed and cupped my chin. "You know, I can sense every little change in you. Your fear is particularly telling."

I swallowed and called his bluff. "I'm not scared of you."

"Are you?" he dared. He ran his finger down my throat to the center of my chest. "I can tell here, it's beating faster."

"It beats faster for a lot of reasons."

"Does it?" he questioned in a mocking tone. "Why else would it beat faster right now?"

"If I'm attracted to you it will!"

His eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Heat rushed to my face. "I didn't say it like I meant it, I mean my heart would beat faster if I was, that's all!"

His brows furrowed. "That doesn't make any sense."

"It makes perfect sense! Look, our hearts beat faster if we're excited, if we're moving a lot, if we're scared, if we're anxious. It doesn't just mean fear."

"So what is it you're feeling now?"

"I…" I honestly didn't know. It wasn't fear, or anxiety, and I'm not so unhealthy that a short walk winded me. But I didn't like him. I mean, we just met and even though I kinda enjoy these verbal spars, and he looked really good in clothes and out, that didn't mean anything. I've seen my share of handsome men. Hell, even Asshole was considered one of the sexiest men alive. That didn't mean anything.

A sharp pain against my forehead snapped me out of my thoughts. I clutched my head and backed away. "What was that for?"

"You think too much."

I burst into laughter. "Wow, even you say that."

"It's obvious," he retorted with a scoff. "But as thanks for cleaning my armor, I'll give you a hint. I knew this was earth when I landed."

I froze. He continued speaking. If he noticed my astonishment, he certainly didn't care.

"I knew about this planet for a long time. I wasn't able to come here until now."

I took a shaky breath. "Why couldn't you come?"

He shook his head. "Your father promised me a place to train. All of those things you used today are inferior. If I cannot train here, I will leave."

"What do you need to train for?"

He frowned. "If it ever comes time for that, you'll know without me telling you."

I wanted to question him further, but the tone of voice told me I couldn't ask him anything else about the subject. "Okay. So training, huh? What sort of training do you do?"


End file.
